Tituba the begining of the Coven
by soafangirl90
Summary: (Not Actually Based On the T.V Show similair characters only) Tituba was bought and sold as a slave. Her magical gifts are harbored by another as she lives and breathes through the heart breaking Salem witch trials in 1692. She makes frightful enemies and unexpected allies in her journey of survival.
1. Chapter 1

Tituba lay on the filthy straw mattress in her cell for what would be her three hundredth and seventy-second day in the Salem jail. Sadly, she had become accustomed to the cold hard stone floor, the smell of feces and rotted food. She had even become used to the fleas that bit at her unwashed skin. Sometimes she would lie awake for hours listening to the other inmates in the cells around her, usually the town drunk or someone accused of offenses against their God. They would cry or pray loudly _while _sobbing and begging forgiveness.

Tituba couldn't understand the white man's religions. One God to oversee every living thing seemed absolutely ridiculous to her because of her Voodoo upbringing. She had always known several deities. Some of them brought protection and prosperity while others punished the guilty. Some were loved while others were feared and honored, but both sides were worshipped with equal respect. Tituba had been taught that though the light was the prize, the earth couldn't function without the dark. Without evil there would be no room in the world for good. Her's was a religion that thrived on balance.

However, the Puritans God seemed an evil God to the world weary slave. Puritan mothers and Fathers were not free to love even their children more than their God! Though she had not seen her children in almost ten years, they had been sold to another family, she loved them fiercely. She would give over her should for the children she conceived, carried and then brought into this world. Being parted from them had broken her heart and made her die a thousand deaths. She knew she would never see them again making her love deepen.

She hid her jealousy and rage at the women in the village who are free to raise their children any way they would like and showed little appreciation for what she would have died for. How could someone follow a God that it so cruel and vengeful at the smallest infraction then demanding you love and obey his word?

Tituba had silently endured the Puritanical way of life outwardly. She went to church and bowed her head during any prayer, but inwardly she prayed to her own Gods. She found solace in her silent worship and even practiced some small rituals, but only if she was certain she would not be caught.

When Samuel Parris had bought her in Boston, she was only thirteen years old. She had not been his only slave to be purchased. In all he returned to Salem with three slaves including Tituba, a teenaged boy and strangely, a middle aged woman who had two different colored eyes, one which was a caramel brown and the other had an amber hue to it. Her birth name was far too difficult for Master Parris to pronounce, which annoyed him greatly, so he named her Amy.

The teenage boy was a stranger to Tituba; however she had known Amy before they were taken and sold as slaves. They never spoke when in Barbados, but once in a while they crossed paths be it washing clothes in the river or passing one another from time to time. Amy was also a practioner of Voodoo.

When Amy was bought and sold it was actually for her ability at healing and excellent record as a mid-wife, as the auctioneer had claimed. Samuel's wife would be expecting their next child in January. Winters were harsh in Salem and Parris feared that his wife would go into labor and he would be unable to get through the snow and cold to summon the village Doctor. Amy was older than the slaves he normally bought. He liked to buy young slaves. They were easier to control and could work twice as long as other slaves twice their age.

Tituba later learned that he was not a cruel master, not by normal standards. All of his slaves were well fed and clothed and he hardly ever beat them.

Amy _was _a skilled midwife. She brought three Parris children into the world with very little help and many skills honed over time. All three children lived to adulthood though one would die in a hunt when he was twenty four and raising his own family. She birthed over twenty slave babies in the fifteen years she and Tituba were together, three of which were Tituba's own. Some babies died for one reason or another and deep down Amy was sometimes happy for it because it was rare that her Master would not sell the babes after a few years. Amy thought it was easier on the mothers. Never would they have to wonder in helpless torture what happened to their children. The infant deaths were most likely caused by poor nutrition of the mother who would be made to work all throughout her pregnancy or biological reason that are unknown to anyone.

Amy was also a Voodoo Priestess in Barbados. Like Tituba she practiced her faith in secret. The Puritans would hang a white woman or man who was suspected of witchcraft faced the hangmans noose and that was after a trial! A black slave practicing a religion that involves animals parts, unintelligible chants in a foreign tongue, rituals measured by the phases of the moon and many more things that the religious white people didn't understand therefore they feared and condemned would be eager to string up a noose before an explanation could be given.

When Tituba was twenty-eight years old, Amy was sold to another family three towns away. Her sight was going and her new buyers had paid a good price. Tituba was sad to see her go however, she was no longer a lonely child with no people or connections to this new world. She had married the same boy who had been bought with her in Boston. His name was John Indian and he had fathered all three of her children. They had been a happy match under the circumstances and loved each other.

A year after she was sold, word came to Tituba that Amy had been tried and hanged as a witch. Tituba had been in town with Mrs. Parris when she happened upon another slave girl who knew Amy and had heard her fate. Amy's master had found her chanting over a red candle and chicken feet outlaid in the ash of the fire. She had drawn symbols in the ashes so she wipe them away if discovered. He had her arrested and the following day. Only three hours after her arrest, her former Master grabbed his chest while speaking to the sherrif. He was dead before his body hit the ground. That was all the town needed. She was hanged a day later. She was charged with witchcraft and murder for it was believed that she summoned the devil then killed her owner in revenge.

Tituba was sad and terrified though she could not reveal this lest her owners might become suspicious. That night she skipped her nightly prayers out of fear and lay there in a stupor contemplating her friend's death. She had an odd sensation that something was wrong, but she could not pin point the cause. She went about her work the next day, having had no sleep she expected she would be in bed as soon as her day was through. Yet that uneasy feeling never ceased.

She tried to talk to her husband about it, but he waved her off with a warning.

"Don't go putting your nose where it don't belong. I mean it! Amy is dead and gone, she doesn't need to be careful, but you are still breathing! You won't be if they catch you!" he had said. John had lived across the sea in Africa. He was sold to an American slaver before he was brought to Boston. His own people had enslaved his mother and father, it was all he knew. The key difference between his African Masters and the pale ones? The American's were much crueler to their slaves. Sure his African master had been one to punish him with a whip or rod, but he had been careful to clean and dress any wounds or depending on the severity of the punishment or would give John simpler tasks so as to allow him to heal.

John had affection for his former master to some extent. The man had been like a surrogate father and he even taught the boy how to read and write which John had kept from the Parris family whom he had no affection for.

Once, three years after his arrival to America, he had been accused of stealing scraps from the table by Elizabeth Parris, Samuel's wife and lady of the house. He quickly admitted the crime even though he did not do it. He was one of five slaves including Tituba. The three others were Emmett, who did most of the gardening around the house and was in his mid forties. Emmett walked slightly hunched over due to a back that had been overworked since childhood. John knew he would not have taken the bread and cheese, but if he was believed to be the culprit, Emmett might just die from the thirty lashes or more that would befall his aching body. That left Tituba, a girl he had immense affection for, Amy who was so fragile looking and finally Raba another teenager that was too valuable an asset to have injured. He worked fast and was strong. If Tituba or Amy were tired or couldn't work as quickly, Raba would be there to pick up the slack thereby keeping the girls safe from reprimand.

After admitting his guilt, John followed their master into the barn where he was made to remove his shirt and clutch a wooden post. He lowered his head as much as possible so he wouldn't get the end of the whip across his face. By the twentieth strike of the whip on his bare bleeding back, John expected to lose conscience. As if anticipating his thoughts, Parris grabbed a bucket and pourd it on him before continuing. At the thirtieth strike, John assumed it was over and moved his head at just the same moment the whip hit him and this time he felt the sharp sting spread across his face barely missing his eye.

Parris, feeling some remorse after he cut the boys face, stopped at thirty five. John was left crouched on the ground, his back a mess of blood and firey wounds snaking here and there. The lashes were deep and he felt every single one.

They never found the culprit and Tituba was sure it was a lie, but she never forgot how much pain John had been in nor could she from the many scars on his back.

She knew he warned her out of love. His culture did not practice Voodoo, but a very oldd native religion. As a slave he was exposed to it but never had he really participated. He understood Tituba's reasons for her practices, but he also cautioned her relentlessly about discovery. He already feared being sold and taken away from her or she from him. White masters did _not _view slave marriages as sacred as they viewed their own.

On her second night with no sleep she still lie awake. Why was she so unsettled by Amy's death? She was positive Amy was innocent, but it was well known what happened to anyone caught practicing their craft. Yet Tituba still felt like something was not right.

She arose from her hay bed where John lay in a deep exhausted sleep. It was a warm night and a full moon lit up the sky. Tituba carefully walked out of the dirt floor hut. She walked to the opposite side of their hut where, on hands and knees with only moonlight to guide her, she began using her hands to dig. About nine inches into the earth her hands found the smooth side of a jar she swiped from the main house. She freed it, draped her shawl over it and scuttled to the barn. She needed silence and distance so as not to be caught.

She opened the heavy wood door and crouched down. Slowly and methodically she began tracing out a symbol into the ground. She did her best in what little light she had. She opened the canning jar. Inside were a set of dried chicken feet, four pieces of linen stained black with the blood of a chicken, lizard, python and a rat, twelve stones with separate symbols on them and a moneys paw that had been given to her for protection.

Tituba retrieved the linens and smelled each one. She identified the pythons blood and placed it in the center of the symbol. She placed one hand on the linen and spoke a prayer. After she picked up the same linen holding it between both hands pressed together, as if she were praying.

She hadn't used this gift often. It frightened her at times. She never used it for her own gain. If she did and say, murdered the entire Parris family? She would not be free and her beliefs were such that she would earn back her folly in thrice the measure.

Now she used it to learn the truth of her fallen friend. She began to rock back and forth, eyes closed while repeating a chant in her native tongue. The wind seemed to pick up around her though she was inside the large barn and no breeze could make the hay and heavy dust fly like that. The four horses in their stalls began to pace and stomp their hoofs in anxious fear. The room seemed to be full of a strange kind of energy that seemed to pull them every which way. The sound in the barn seemed to have disappeared completely.

Tituba continued the chant, keeping focus on Amy and her fate. Suddenly her head snapped back. Not long after she let out a horrendous cry before her body gave out and she fell on her side fighting to breath. The horses had stopped pacing and began to calm themselves and the dust and hay settled around her and the barn seemed to have changed not at all.

Finally she gathered herself and stood up, her legs shaky. With tears streaming down her face she collected the contents of the jar, wiped away her symbol which had survived the wind and then retreated back to her bed with her husband. She would replace the jar the next day. For now she lay there shivering though she had no reason to be chilled. She cried silently as she contemplated over the vision she just saw and what poor Amy endured. She was innocent and she was hung. With this vision, Tituba had no choice but to watch as her friends execution played behind her eyes. She watched helplessly as the poor woman was beaten in a jail cell by the town magisters and the constabul. Her face running with blood and tears as she refused to confess.

Tituba also saw that the Master's death was not by witchcraft, but by poison. The Masters wife was the culprit. She had been plotting the crime for some time and watched as Amy paid the price for it, just another innocent slave.

Tituba promised John she would no longer practice her faith. It was too dangerous and she feared it more now than she had in her entire life.


	2. Chapter 2

Her celibacy from magic lasted until April of 1691 when Miss Elizabeth arrived from England to live with the Parris family. Tituba's main duties in the home were to look after the Parris children among many other things. When shewas informed of Elizabeth's impending arrival she felt no real shock or excitement at the prospect of another life to care for.

The Parris family had three children Thomas, Elizabeth and Susannah as well as Abigail Williams who was the Reverends orphaned niece. Her parents had been murdered right in front of her by Indians before she was able to escape. She was eight years old wearing only her night dress and it was November and bitterly cold. By the time she reached town, she was frozen, half dead with exhaustion and traumatized. Reverend Parris took her in and raised her as his own.

Tituba had never paid much attention to the round faced, dark haired girl. In truth, the child was rather quiet and reserved with the most observant dark eyes. Sometimes Tituba wondered what she thought behind her mask of moroseness? Though her mouth uttered barely a sound, her eyes seemed to speak loud and clear. Yet, no one seemed to notice her enough to get any inkling that something about her was amiss.

Abigail was closest to Elizabeth or Betty as most refered to her. As they were closest in age, the friendship made sense.

Elizabeth was fourteen when she arrived in America. She stayed in Boston for one week before Parris could collect her. Though she had given up her craft, she couldn't help, but sense someone was coming. Not because she had been verbally informed, but she could feel the cosmic change in the air. The smell of sweet unbridled power that was moving towards her became thicker and thicker by the day.

Even John commented on the atmosphere that seemed to be pulsing around him.

Tituba never would have guessed that this new arrival would be the cause.

Due to her devotion to the earth and to the balance of the realm they lived, her kind was able to sense aura's and vibes. The current was strong if the person was a practioner and a skilled one. Most people can sense such a power, but don't know they are aware of it or simply shrug it off as intuition. Tituba knew that whomever she was sensing was most likely able to sense her.

When Elizabeth walked into her cousins home she was immediately on her guard. Due to her lack of experience she too misunderstood the vibrations Tituba was sending out and was momentarily frightened at the prospect of being caught. What if one of her cousins found out? She heard her mother's voice warning her to be a good girl before Elizabeth departed from England.

As Tituba rounded the corner of the hall to help the young woman with her bags she stopped dead in her tracks as Elizabeth came into view. Tituba's mouth fell open in shock. This girl was just that, a girl and yet Tituba could sense the amount of determination and the strength of the little girls gift. Elizabeth could sense Tituba's aura as well and once both women caught one another's eyes, they stood in a pregnant silence, unsure of how to react.

"Tituba!" Betty hissed as she came up behind the slave from the kitchen and broke the two out of their thoughts and back to reality.

"Yes ma'am?" Tituba uttered, her eyes now stuck to the floor.

"Stop gawking at our cousin and help her with her things!" Betty snapped at the slave. Tituba was shocked at the apologetic smile on Elizabeth's face and couldn't help but smile back at the girl in silent thanks. Once her belongings were placed in her room, Elizabeth was marveling over her cousin Betty's harshness to the negro woman. It boggled her mind that a child of nine could speak so disrespectfully to a grown woman and order the slave about like she was no more than an animal.

Elizabeth was given a small room that she occupied alone. Due to her age, Samuel decided the three younger girls would share a room and Thomas would sleep in the hayloft until the harsh weather returned.

Tituba didn't get a chance alone with the girl until the following morning when she was told to heat water so Elizabeth could draw a bath. While the girl soaked in the warm water Tituba ran a flea comb through her long auburn hair. She did this task in silence while Elizabeth swirled her finger in the water. Tituba felt a swell in the air and before she could register the cause she glanced a silvery round orb hovering just above Elizabeth's lap. At first, using her fingers to guide it, to bounced it lightly _over_ the water then she rotated it. There was nothing holding it, just the power that Elizabeth exerted.

Tituba dropped the comb when she realized the orb was actually the bath water suspended and held by seemingly nothing. Once the comb clattered to the floor, Elizabeth gave a small giggle.

"_Marvelous isn't it?"_ Tituba heard the voice in her head however; Elizaeth had not uttered a word.

"_I don't need to speak out loud anymore. Besides, who knows who could be listening behind the door? I know what you are Tituba! No one could be projecting more than a witch who tries to quell her gift, or so I read. And I know you know what I am_," Elizabeths voice came againg as she let the water orb drop back into the tub with a little splash. Tituba's heart beat so hard it felt like it would burst through her chest.

"_I am no witch!"_ Tituba hissed out loud without thinking. Elizabeths head jerked around to face the slave and she placed a finger over her lips as signal for Tituba to hold her tongue.

"_Speak not out loud! I have no quarrel with you_!" Elizabeth reassured her. She put her hand over the slaves in comfort.

"_I don't know my craft!" _Elizabeth implored her eyes boring into Tituba, there conversation takeing place in their heads.

"_I only just acquired this power right before I left England and had no one to teach me. I know no one else with such power until I met you_," the girl explained and Tituba, though mistyfied as to why, felt her heart soften to the girls situation. These were dangerous times and the thought of a little girl being caught because she was simply uneducated was heart breaking to her. Tituba missed her fellow practioners and for so long she had not used her magic to defend her people. What if, with Elizabeths help and white privilege, she could somehow make the Puritans believe that their craft was not the evil they preached against, at least in most cases?

"_This is dangerous_," Tituba said. Elizabeth sighed outwardly and nodded her head.

"_I know. So many people like us are being persecuted and murdered. Not to mention all the innocent ones that told the truth, but still burned. With this gift we should be thriving and revered!"_ she said.

"I don't use my gifts. That part of me is finished," Tituba said.

"You don't have to do anything. Just teach me your ways! Show me how to mask my power and keep us all safe," implored Elizabeth. After several moments, Tituba nodded. She had to admit, an apprentice seemed like a refreshing idea. Had she known the storm that was brewing would soon be raining down doom from the sky, she would have never agreed. In all probability she would have rather taken her chances on the road before she would have helped Elizabeth.


	3. Chapter 3

As the weeks followed, Elizabeth seemed to enchant the town and the Parris family. Even Abigail, who was normally standoffish and slow to warm to strangers, seemed under the girls spell. Tituba began her lessons and for months she and Elizabeth would meet secretly after everyone went to sleep and practice. The girl was a fast learner and Tituba found herself exercising her magic to the annoyance of John, her husband.

"Miss Elizabeth you must keep everything I teach you a secret! Reverend Samuel would protect you if we get caught, but I could be burned at the stake!" Tituba warned the girl at every lesson. After a while Elizabeth would roll her eyes at the slave, absolutely sure the older woman was being over cautious. By now the two women were bonded by their sacred heritage and a mutual love had become to form over time.

Elizabeth had been with them a year and was growing from a novice to a master when Tituba refused to teach her the darker arts. Elizabeth had been infuriated demanding Tituba teach her _everything_ she knew and that included the most sinister of powers. Tituba held her ground and refused to give in. Finally, after a heated argument whispered in the late night, Elizabeth she didn't need the slave anymore, she had surpassed the teacher.

Tituba grew weary of the girls many demands. She had taught her how to call the corners, glamour objects to hide in plain sight, conjuring, blood telling and all manner of things that normally, a young witch would have learned by the time they reached Elizabeths age. The girl started to scoff at the lessons. She mastered new challenges every day and Tituba believed, with true pride, that Elizabeth was far surpassing Tituba's gifts, frustrating herself and Elizabeth. They stopped speaking unless during the day. If they were in the presence of the family they acted as they always had, a slave and a relation to her Master.

After a month of the silent battle Tituba was horrified to find Elizabeth, Betty, Abigail and Susannah all gathered around a low burning fire in the kitchen. They sat in night dresses, sleep caps and shawls draped over their shoulders giggling quietly. Tituba stayed in the shadows where she couldn't be seen by the three girls and observed their tryst. What was Elizabeth up to? She thought craning her neck so she could hear what they said.

"We could punish John Putnam for being so cruel last summer!" Betty said excitedly to her sister and cousin. Both girls nodded in agreement.

"Oh Betty we could do whatever we want!" Elizabeth practically squealed. Tituba stepped into the room without thinking and rounded on the now petrified girl, she glared down at Elizabeth in disdain and shock. They all jumped. Betty and Susannah looked as if they might become hysterical with fear. Elizabeth had jumped when she approached but her fear turned into a malicious grin.

"Tituba could tell us what to do!" she crooned, her smile never leaving. Tituba stopped dead. How could Elizabeth have done this? Did she not understand the risk to all of them if they were caught? Betty and Susannah exchanged excited glances.

If Elizabeth wasn't nervous then surely they shouldn't be either. Tituba had been in their family since before the children were born and they knew her to be kind and gentle. She loved them, in a way, but always ever aware that her love was born of slavery. The very choice of love itself was not hers to own, but forced onto her by circumstance.

"You will damn us!" Tituba implored to Elizabeth. The arrogant teen shook her head slowly, her smile never leaving her as she rose from the hearth and stood toe to toe with the slave.

"No. I am but a poor orphan, taken into a good Puritan home and my mind so engrossed in grief was shaken and manipulated by the devils dark angel and her power. How was I to know that the Devil was her master?!" she explained, the malice dripping from every word.

Betty and Susannah rose as well, fascinated by the exchange before them and they both garnered bravery from their cousin.

Tituba broke eye contact when a log in the fire spit with a loud crack causing her to jump. She had no choice and began schooling Betty and Susannah in her foreign arts.

The following morning Tituba was able to confront Elizabeth on her actions and their immense consequences. Elizabeth just waved her off with no concern, infuriating Tituba more. She wanted to box the childs ears yet knew she would face a lashing. The beating almost seemed worth it as Elizabeth smiled at her.

"I suppose if I knew better how to control my craft I could find a way to undo what happened," she crooned.

"However, you refuse to teach me. Such power shouldn't be so selfishly carried by two women," she said.

"You don't want to understand! You seek to control the dark arts for your own gain!" Tituba hissed. She had sensed Elizabeth's urge to use her magic as a way to get what she wanted. Since her arrival in Salem she had given blatant evidence of that. The better she got, the more she was spurred to continue.

"My reasons are my own," Elizabeth replied calmly and cooly. Inside her inner most thoughts she was pained by the statement. One, because it was true and two she had been so convincing to the people around her that she assumed Tituba was also fooled. The truth stung her like a bee, but she showed no wavering.

"Your reasons could get us all killed! And defy the laws of balance. You use your gift to climb a ladder, soon the ladder will topple with you on it," Tituba said.

"Well, then I supposed you have a choice to contemplate," the teenager replied before stepping outside to collect firewood for breakfast. Tituba let her go. She would not be threatened or swayed by the whims and will of a child.

Elizabeth was sure she could see the end of her education looming clearer in the distance for surely Tituba would have no choice but to do as she was bid or she would be sure to have the slave discovered, however Tituba would not be swayed.

Tituba spent many nights telling girls scary stories and legends of her home and the many healings and rituals that she had witnessed. Betty became engrossed at tales of barbaric animal sacrifice, odd potions and chants. The idea of dream walking excited Sussannah making her eyes grow wide with fascination. Even Abigail, speaking more words in those first nights than ever before, became extroverted. The change into Abigail touched Tituba's heart and was the first of times she naivetly beilieved her night time reandevous were good because it had healed some pieces of Abigail and maybe could help the other two?

Elizabeth, on the other hand, was not amused. She could've cared less about Tituba's stories and parlor tricks she was teaching them. She played the part for her cousins, but she was seething! She needed to move things along and shake up Tituba's confidence.

Tituba relived her old family tales and legends as if she were there. Her words flowed with such ease and control, recounting every small detail as if she had never left her home. She found herself coming alive in a way she hadn't since leaving her tribe and coming to America.

She spoke of her Grandmother who had been a wonderful medicine woman and before Tituba could stop herself, she began to digress into being a young girl, not a care in the world and a family that loved her. She was not aware that Abigail had taken Tituba's dark hand in her small white one. When Tituba was pulled from her memories she looked down at their intertwined hands, then into Abigail's big kind eyes. The dear girl allowed a tear to roll down her rosy cheeks. Tituba wiped it away with her thumb extremely touched by the child's empathy.

In the telling of those stories she had come to trust the three girls she had helped raise. Abigail knew the pain of a family stolen from her and now she empathized that Tituba's history mirrored her own. Even during the day light hours when Abigail was a lonely Puritan orphan and Tituba was just a slave, the little girl never saw her as anything more than another lost child, not a slave, but an equal to herself.

Betty was in awe of her family slave and tried her best to speak to the woman with respect or at the very least, civility. She idolized the slaves empowerment, especially in a town ruled by men, Tituba was a female slave who could overthrow the sexist principles with a flick of her wrist! Betty loved watching Tituba light candles with a small flick of her hand and a small surge of power. It felt like a tiny lightning bolt had exploded in the air as the candle puttered to life before their eyes. Secretly though, Betty was also fearful. If her father caught them he would surely beat her, as well as her sister and Abigail or worse, have them tried as witches! The only thing Betty feared more than Hell itself, it was her father's wrath therefore she was extremely cautious and kept the two other girls in check at all times lest they slip and say something out of turn.


	4. Chapter 4

In early September 1691 Tituba was horrified when Mercy Lewis and Mary Walcott aged arrived late one night at the Parris home insisting they had been invited by the other girls. They insisted they would not tell a soul. It turns out that by Elizabeth's suggestion, Betty and the girls had been regaling their slaves stories and began whispering about unknown power. Elizabeth would never go to the girls herself and invite them into the circle. She was determined not to be implicated in the act of breaking Tituba's warning of secrecy. Mercy and Mary had both been curious and excited of the prospect of gaining all you desire at the drop of a hat. They boldly stole from their homes without detection, then made the mile and a half walk through the brisk night air to the Parris family.

"Girls!" Elizabeth proclaimed as Mercy and Mary sat down at the hearth. Tituba had been too afraid to send them away and believed the only safe thing would be to allow them inside. If she refused there was no telling what they might do or say to get her into trouble? Tituba knew that Puritan or not, child or not, girls could be convincingly vicious when they become aware of the power they held over someone, especially someone with a secret that is life and death.

Tituba glared at Elizabeth's mock surprise. She knew that it had been her doing and the way Elizabeth looked at her she knew the slave was aware of the emptiness in her words.

"How dare you!" Elizabeth exclaimed, her lips set in a thin firm line.

"You promised Tituba that you would preserve her reputation and keep this a secret," she cried. The five girls dropped their heads in shame and said nothing as Elizabeth shook her head. Tituba had to give it to her, she was most convincing.

"You should be ashamed of what you've done to our coven!" she hissed. Tituba swallowed in fear. A Coven, was made up of many witches, some family and some not. They come together to practice their religion and can generally be a powerful foe. The girls began to refer to their group as a Coven. Giving themselves a title only made her anxiety rise for if anyone found out, they all could be tried and the Covens namesake called to question and solidify their guilt.

A week after the group turned from five to seven it gained three more additions. Little Ann Putnam, Elizabeth Hubbard and Liza Booth. Tituba again, became fearful however, now she was livid. Elizabeth would not threaten her or her life with such ridiculous acts.

Once again she confronted the girl and once again Elizabeth had already a new plan in motion.

"If they hang me, they hang all of us!" Tituba railed at her. She was keeping her voice low, but it was a taxing thing for she wanted to scream.

Elizabeth chuckled and shook her head. She looked at Tituba as if the slave girl was a simpleton or mentally afflicted. When she spoke, her voice dripped with contempt and loathing. Tituba had never seen her act this menacing and it frightened her. She struggled not to cross her thumb to her pointing finger, a common use to ward off evil.

"Dear teacher, if you swing from the hangman's noose, you will be watching me in the crowd as your body loses its very spirit. I knew you wouldn't relent weeks ago just as I know that now, I have left you vulnerable to discovery just as you have left me vulnerable by deserting my lessons and furthering my ambition." Tituba craned her head about so as to not be discovered.

"You think you won't suffer consequences for this fool heartedness?" she asked. Again Elizabeth smiled and nodded.

"I know I won't. Consider this a parting gift," Elizabeth said with another malicious chuckle.

"Parting gift?" Tituba repeated in honest confusion.

Elizabeth clapped her hands, squealing in excitement.

"Oh dear! Yes sweet Tituba! I will be leaving here and going to live with the Tummel family," she bragged.

Several months ago, Elizabeth had brewed a love potion that she fed the Tummel's oldest son Johnathon at several dinner engagements between the Parris family and his. Johnathon had shown no interest in the girl prior to her magical interference.

Soon, it was obvious the boy was smitten. He bee lined to her whenever they were able to speak. He slowly courted her and Tituba had noticed their frequent evenings together, but she never guessed it was unnatural. Elizabeth was loved by everyone; it was only a matter of time before the young men to vie for her affection. The Tummel's were the wealthiest in Salem and they only had one son who was bound to inherit everything. No one could have made a better match than he.

The love potion wouldn't last forever and would have to be increased over time due to Johnathon's tolerance to it. Elizabeth was sure that after they married and consummated the marriage, it wouldn't matter if Johnathon loved her or no, he would never divorce her for shaming his family name.

Elizabeth moved out of her family's home and into the largest house in Salem with her new husband. Mr. and Mrs. Tummel loved their daughter in law and without the influence of magic. After six months of marriage Mrs. Tummel became gravely ill and sadly passed away. Her sudden death triggered Mr. Tummel to suffer a severe stroke leaving him alive but unable to speak or communicate. His father's malady made Johnathon the wealthiest and most powerful man in Salem and Elizabeth at his side was also ascended to being the sole lady of the house.

As she stood with her new husband at church several days after her mother in laws funeral, Tituba couldn't help, but believe that Elizabeth was to blame for Mrs. Tummel's death. As the young girls eyes locked with the slaves, she smiled demurely and waved. Her smug smile ever present.


	5. Chapter 5

p class="MsoNormal"When Elizabeth moved out of the Parris home, Tituba's late night tutoring sessions continued though, now she felt a bit more relieved that she no longer had to worry about Elizabeth. She had gotten everything she had wanted and Tituba was sure that she had no need for the dark teachings./p  
p class="MsoNormal"The girls heeded her warnings and she taught them simple love spells and incantations that would do very little and cause no harm. Some of the girls were touched by magic and thankfully, unaware of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanEach girl kept their word that they would never do these things alone and only when with Tituba and to never em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"ever /emspeak of it to anyoneem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;". /emWithout Elizabeth's bad influence, Tituba blindly believed in the pact she made would hold strong./p  
p class="MsoNormal"It began in the last days of January 1692 when Betty's beloved cat Tibb's was found dead at the neighbors farm who then brought the poor animal to the Parris family knowing Betty's affection for it. She wept and sobbed. Heartbroken at the thought of her fury friend being buried in the cold ground, alone, she suddenly recalled one of Tituba's tales. It was of a woman who attempted to resurrect her dead husband using chickens blood and reciting a prayer. Susannah recalled the story as well and even remembered the prayer needed to complete the ritual. In the story the witch resurrected her husband, but he was evil and malformed and the witch was ultimately murdered by the creature and both were burned to death by the villagers so as to return both spirits to the grave./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Does that mean I could bring my mama back to life? I miss her so!" cried Mercy as Betty hugged her in solace. Tituba realized she may have made a mistake by telling this story. Her eyes opened wide and she shook her head fervently./p  
p class="MsoNormal""It's against nature! What comes back is em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"not /emwhat has left. I have never known anyone who has succeeded. Mostly, you open the door for any spirit or demon to walk the earth and torment those around it. Such demons that dwell in hell will then use your grief against you and mislead your heart for its own cruel needs. Opening the window to the after realm can cause unimaginable damage and even harm to everyone it makes contact with. What's done is done my dears. Death is another way we must keep the balance. You must never attempt such a dangerously frivolous action," she urged./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Promise me, if ever you break my trust and attempt magic outside these walls, promise you will Never ever break this one rule," she said. Each girl nodded in assent and no more was said on the matter./p  
p class="MsoNormal"When Betty and Susannah stole away from the house with Tibbs corpse wrapped in an old pony blanket, they told not a soul, especially Tituba. Betty couldn't with stand not having Tibbs in her life and she was determined to get him back. She still feared the warning, but she was sure that a cat could not be used as a conduit for an evil spirit and if it did she could easily play dumb at his behavior./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Once well enough away from prying eyes, the girls began the ritual to the best of their memories. Using salt Betty drew a symbol in the dirt. Susannah placed the six various candles in their correct position while Betty cut some of Tibbs fur from his body still partially wrapped in the linens. Betty then pricked her finger and placed it over the symbol. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAt first, their chants only echoed around them unimpressively. They each silently believed that it wouldn't work. After several moments of chanting and concentration the girls could finally feel a shift occurring in the atmosphere around them. The ground seemed to buzz in energy and the air seemed filled with tension./p  
p class="MsoNormal"The sisters shut their eyes and kept them clapped shut as every second passed. Both too afraid that if they opened their eyes, the spell would be uncomplete. As every second ticked by Betty and Susannah became physically weaker and weaker. Their bodies were channeling a great deal of magic. Their muscles began to ache, their joints became stiff and their blood seemed to grow thick as sewer sludge./p  
p class="MsoNormal"With a final, exhausted cry, Betty let out a final wail before feinting backwards in a heap. Susannah snapped her eyes open as the dust settled and her sister feinted. The candles were still lit, even though Susannah had felt the wind whip her hair across her face, somehow they had kept their flame. The salt symbol in the dirt looked untouched however, the salt had turned a ghastly blood red./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Once Susannah realized her sister was lying unmoving on the cold ground she began shaking Betty in a panic. Betty groaned and struggled to open her eyes. She was exhausted and felt somehow, unclean. As if she had been touched by an evil spirit and it had left a scent that would never wash off. The girls quickly and silently gathered their things, including Tibb's corpse which remained lifeless and ran home. They placed the cat's corpse behind the shed before climbing into their respective beds and falling fast asleep. Neither girl spoke to the other. Too exhausted and bewildered to say anything./p  
p class="MsoNormal"What neither girl knew was at the exact moment they stepped over the threshold of the Parris home Tituba was starled awake. She pulled her shawl close around her suddenly feeling an odd chill in the air. Her body broke out in a cold sweat and she was suddenly very frightened. John started awake just seconds after her./p  
p class="MsoNormal""What is em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"that?/em" he asked his wife in the darkness. He too had felt the fog of something evil permeat the air and it frightened him as well./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Something em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"bad./em I can't see what it is, but its coming," Tituba replied. She felt like she was going to cry and actually em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"wanted/em to burst into sobs, but she didn't know the cause. John put his arm over her chest guiding her to lie down next to him and he held her until he drifted off to an uneasy sleep. Tituba lie there for a long time, worrying over this doom that seemed to befall Salem./p  
p class="MsoNormal"The spell hadn't worked. Tibbs corpse was buried by the girl's father the very next day. Betty would normally have been devastated; however something told her it was for the best and frankly, she hadn't the strength to agonize over it. The following day Betty and Susannah seemed quieter than usual. Both girls went about their tasks in a daze. Their movements were slow and careful, their muscles seemed to be screaming and it was exceedingly taxing trying to not let their soreness show. The weather was very forgiving this winter, but both Betty and Susannah couldn't seem to keep a chill off their backs. After the girls refused their mid-day meal and with frank urgency on their behalf by Abigail, Elizabeth Parris sent both daughters to bedrest until supper believing that their ailment was just caused by a bad nights rest. Tituba checked in on both the girls throughout the day. She was just as ignorant to the girls exhaustion as everyone else. With this darkness seemingly hovering Tituba feared for her "pupils" and spent hours summoning every protection spell she could muster. Sadly, it was too late for the evil was already dwelling in the shadows of the Paris household./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Later that evening, Betty and Susannah joined the family for supper and seemed to have improved. Suddenly, without warning, Reverend Parris bowed his head to pray over their meal. The family followed suite though Betty and Susannah both seemed to do so with difficulty. Before the full first word could be uttered by Parris, Betty let out an agonizing wail before throwing herself backward off the bench and onto the hard floor. She clawed at her face and hair screaming hysterically. Meanwhile, Susannah cupped her hands over her ears and began shaking her head back and forth. She sobbed as she screamed, "go away! Please go away! Stop it!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"The rest of the family stared on in shock and horror. Abigail, the quietest of the three girls began to fidget in her seat across from Betty and Susannah. She began swatting at the air around her then resorted to slapping her skin, as if she were slapping at bugs./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Uncle?" she whimpered as she swatted at her flesh. Reverend Parris was suddenly pulled into action by his niece's pitiful whimper. He got up from the head of the table and attempted to grab Betty's hands in restraint. Her face was already scratched and bloody and she had torn out several clumps of hair. He shouted for Tituba and John to hold the girl down while he tried to wrangle Susannah's hands from her ears to calm her. Abigail was shrieking every few seconds while her body twitched with every shriek. Elizabeth Parris wrapped her arms around Abigail pinning them to her body. Abigail struggled and Elizabeth was horrified to hear her dress sleeves rip as she struggled to keep her niece from moving. Unintentionally, Elizabeth began to silently whisper the Lord's Prayer in hopes it would ward off any evil. The more she said the prayer, the harder the girls struggled. Elizabeth was unaware of this however; her husband would later recall it in vivid detail when speaking to the Salem council when he was called to testify to the incident./p  
p class="MsoNormal"As the room erupted into chaos, Tituba watched with the same horrified expression as everyone else. She froze in terror, unable to move or even breathe let alone think. Black shadows danced over the girls with poisonous intent. No one else saw these "shadows" and Tituba had only ever heard stories and tall tales of vengeful spirits, called on for evil intents or as in this case, by accident and blind foolishness. These "shadowed souls" could be pests at best, breaking objects, pulling hair, tripping someone walking could suddenly be tripped and covered in mud or bruised from the fall. However, as time passes and they are left to wander amongst the living, their antics could become more brutal and in some cases, fatal. The spirit would need to be banished and soon before this evil escalated./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Tituba! Go, run and get Doctor Griggs," Parris shouted over his daughters screams and attempts to fend him off./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Tituba ran out of the house without a word. By the time she returned to the home, the Doctor following quickly behind, Betty, Susannah and Abigail had calmed down and Tituba saw no black shadows, but they had lingered. Their aura was palpable and seemed to hang over the house./p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanDoctor Griggs did thorough examinations of each girl after giving them a tonic to calm their nerves. Tituba assisted him in silence. Her brain was whirling as she tried to think of how she would banish these things? How had they been summoned? Perhaps, someone had sent them? Did they end their assault because she had left the house and had been their intended victim?/p  
p class="MsoNormal"By the time the Doctor was finished and she was dismissed to the kitchen, Tituba was contemplating the most likely scenario. One of her pupils had foolishly gone against her warning and unleashed these spirits./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Who had done it was unimportant at the moment. As Tituba gathered her herbs and supplies for the banishment, she overheard Doctor Griggs and Mr. Parris conversation. The Reverend was walking the man to the door as he listened to the diagnosis./p  
p class="MsoNormal""They seem to be healthy outwardly, besides a few minor scrapes and bruises from the scuffle," the Doctor explained./p  
p class="MsoNormal""How can that be? You examined Betty; she is a small tiny thing that struggles to carry a full pail of water. Yet when she was struggling with me, I felt like I was tussling with a man. She was so strong! It was unnatural!" Parris said. He was afraid and his fear made his voice shaky and uncharacteristically weak sounding./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Doctor Griggs sighed loudly. He had no medical diagnosis however, these were perilous times and he felt he needed to put forth the absolute worst case scenario. He figured he might be mistaken, but felt obligated to mention it./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Have you considered that it could be the devil at work? It's possible. Just last year I was called to Ipswich to examine four men on trial for witch craft. The accusations came from several people who testified these four men had bewitched them, tortured them and terrorized them every waking moment. I was unsure of their guilt, but I could do nothing except report my findings. After the executions, the afflicted no longer suffered. It was proof that I had not condemned innocent men and that I was right to keep my objections to their hanging," he explained./p  
p class="MsoNormal"A pause followed that seemed to last hours instead of seconds as the Reverend mulled over this account. Tituba was now completely transfixed on their conversation and moved closer to the kitchen door so as not to miss a thing./p  
p class="MsoNormal""I raised my daughters and my niece to be God fearing, pious and pure. I believed in doing so, this would keep the Devil, even the evil, from ever preying on their souls. They are pure and it would be easy for a minion of Satan to attach itself to them because of that," the Reverend said. He felt helpless. It was his job to take care of his family, to protect them from all forms of danger. If the Devil was present, he felt as if he was powerless to help his family. A man must be strong and a strong hand of his household. This incident shook him to the core./p  
p class="MsoNormal"How was he supposed to battle against another worldly evil that he could not see?/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Consoling the Reverend Doctor Griggs patted the other man's arm in reassurance./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Peace Samuel. Let me look into it further before we start assuming the worst. I don't want you to worry just yet. This could be an episode brought on by digestive issues due to rotten food and their bodies were hallucinating because it's fighting off whatever bacteria that is invading them. I must take my leave. I have left some tonic with your wife, just in case and if the incident is repeated summon me immediately and I will come running."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"With that he left, medical bag in hand. Samuel latched the door then, unsure of what to do; he climbed the stairs to his bedroom. He looked in on the girls. Elizabeth sat in a rocker keeping vigil over them in case they woke up. She wouldn't be leaving them tonight nor would she or her husband really sleep. Samuel would doze off only to start awake in fear. He would listen hard for some commotion or sign that the girls were having a fit and inevitably, he would doze off again only to repeat the action./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Just before he usually roused, the exhausted Reverend, too nervous to attempt to rest, dressed quietly before checking on his girls. He stuck his head into his son's room and woke the boy to saddle his father's horse. He needed to go to town His wife was still awake though her eyes seemed to be straining to stay open. She didn't even notice him in the doorway; her eyes were keenly focused on the sleeping figures across the room. Parris retreated to the first floor, donned his heavy coat and hat./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Samuel left the house as the sun rose slowly. He needed to go to town and have a letter sent to Boston for advice and guidance. He feared the girls relapsing into hysteria and would feel better if he had some insight./p  
p class="MsoNormal"He also needed to speak with Magistrates John Hathorne and Johnathon Corwin. Whoever had done his family harm with the devils tools needed to be found, tried and punished. The magistrates may not even consider his proposal, especially since it was one incident, but witches could be the worst enemy to have in a village so devout. How would he be able to live with himself if he diidnt save his family or better yet, his community from evil?/p  
p class="MsoNormal"What Reverend Samuel Parris didn't realize was that soon, the witches would fear the Puritans and not the other way around./p 


End file.
